Drive for winding machines



G. c. D. VALLIE 2,223,155

DRIVE FOR WINDING MACHINES Nov. 26, 1940.

Filed May 24, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet l 6'4 INVEN TOR.

$14 9 a D. V'i'lz'e ATTORNEYS.

NOV. 26, 1940- 6, c VALUE 2.223,]55

DRI'VE FOR WINDING MACHINES Filed May 24, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 w gm 74 /INVENTOR.

fl LAWW A TTORNEYS.

Patented Nov. 26, 1940 PATENT OFFICE DRIVE FOB WINDING MACHINES Guy 0. D. Vallie, Cranston, R. 1., minor to Standard Mill Supply Company, a corporation of Rhode Island Application May 24, 1939, Serial No. 275,429

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a winding machine, more particularly to a plurality of spindles usually assembled in gangs of a definite predetermined number.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a drive for the plurality of spindles which will contain fewer operating parts.

Another object of this invention is to provide a drive which will be less expensive to maintain and operate than the drives now utilized in winding machines of this character.

Another object of the invention is to permit the cam for the spindle of a winding machine to be worked upon without stopping the entire gang of spindles which are assembled in a single unit, it being desirable that a single spindle instead of a plurality of spindles in a single gang should be inoperative when one of these require repair, replacement or adjustment.

Another object of the invention is to provide a driving arrangement which will cause the machines to occupy less floor space than has heretofore been necessary.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simpler method of starting and stopping each spindle so that a better control for more gradual effective operation of the starting handle may be had.

A further object of the invention is to make the entire drive, and thus each spindle, an operating unit by itself, separate and individual from each of the other similar operating units, so far as the drive is concerned.

Another object of the invention is to eliminate a long driving belt and to provide individual driv ing belts for each unit.

A further object of the invention is to provide shorter and less expensive drive belts, thus reducing the amount of take-up for any stretch that may appear, also to reduce the tension required that the wear on the bearings may be diminished.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is an end elevation partly broken away to illustrate operating parts of a winding machine equipped with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a view showing fragments of certain parts of the machine for the starting and stopping operation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a detailed view looking from the rear end showing the rod for carrying the operating handle.

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of a iragmental portion of the machine illustrating the mounting of the motor and the lever for lifting same. 5

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 4 and on a somewhat larger scale.

Fig. 6 is a back view of certain portions of a gang of spindles illustrating the arrangement of the driving motors and drive of the spindles and their traversing cams.

Fig. '1 is a section of the lifting lever on a larger scale.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the motor cradle.

Fig. 9 is a section view through the motor cradle and its hinge rod.

In the operating of winding machines it has been usual to assemble a gang of spindles in one machine and drive this gang of spindles by a single motor. There are certain limits determining the number of spindles which may be included in any gang for operation by a single motorr The drive usually occurs by the use of a single belt which has somewhat of a serpentine path about manipulated tension and driven pulleys which are to be operated. The longer the belt the greater the tension must be applied to it and consequently the pulleys for operation and the greater the tension the more wear is exerted upon the bearings of the pulleys which are operated. From a practical standpoint six spindles are about all that can be operated in a single gang from one motor by a belt extending from the motor in one direction and the use of a single motor driving in opposite directions two such gangs is the practical limit of the number that can be operated by a single motor. A large number of moving parts are required for the operation of any such gang of belt driven spindles and each of these moving parts must be lubricated. Further, each time any one of the spindles needs to be worked upon it is necessary to stop all of the other spindles in the gang as no workman wishes to put his hands into the machine to Work on one of the cams with the belt traveling. just a few inches from his arm. Consequently it is almost universal practice to stop the entire machine when it is desired to work upon one of the spindles or its traversing cam. It will be seen from the above that certain undesirable features result in the present day practice of machines of this character and in order to better this situation I have provided a single motor for each spindle, the motor being of smaller size and about 35 H. P. I

This eliminates a large number of moving parts and the necessity for their lubrication. A power saving is also effected particularly if not all of the spindles of the gang operated by a large motor are put in operation as only the power necessary to operate the individual spindles will be consumed in this driving arrangement. It also does away with a long driving belt and permits of a man to work on any one spindle with all of the other spindles operating. It also permits of the easier starting of the machine slowly and provides an evener drive of each individual spindle so that a very nicely wound Package is provided, and the following is a more detailed description of the present embodiment of this invention, illustrating the preferred means by which these advantageous results may be accomplished.

A large part of the present drawings show a standard type of winding machine identified as a Universal" winding machine "#50" and some of the essential parts of which machine will now be described.

There is a frame consisting of a bedlike support Ill having legs I I of a desired length to support the mechanism upon the fioor. Upon this bed III I mount a plurality of boxlike casings l2, usually in gangs of six. Each of these boxlike structures are substantially the same and are provided with bearings for a winding spindle l3. Arranged below the winding spindle l3 and parallel therewith a cam shaf-t I4 is journaled in bearings l5 at the sides of the frame or casing I2. The spindle I3 constitutes the drive shaft of the machine being driven from a belt pulley l3. Fast on the cam shaft I5 is a cam l'l having helical groove I8 therein. The groove I3 is engaged by a roller or follower I! on a slide or cross head 20 which constitutes the means for reciprocating the thread guide 2|. The cross head 23 is slidable in a guideway in a traverse frame 22 which includes a horizontal bar 21 supported upon legs 28 and 29 pivoted on the axis of the cam shaft 4. Connected at one end of the cross head 20 is a traverse rod 30 carrying the thread guide 2| at its outer end. The traverse rod slides in a guideway in the traverse frame 22 and thread guide 2| bears against a plate 3| to adapt it to traverse back and forth in parallel relation to the axis of the winding spindle. This traverse mechanism may swing on its legs 24 and 23 about the cam shaft as a center as the size of the package increases. The cam shaft I4 is driven thru the gainer mechanism 34 by pulley 3| and belt 30 from the pulley 31 on the winding spindle [3.

A tension device shown generally at 33 is sup- .ported from the frame of the machine and is arranged to have yarn 33 which moves upwardly from the supply package 40 pass thru the tension as it moves to the winding package upwardly across the thread bale 4| to feed thru the notch in the thread guide 2| as it is wound on the tube or bobbin 42 mounted on the winding spindle.

Above the winding spindle a lift rod 43 is rotatably mounted in bearings 44 so as it swings about an axis substantially parallel with the axis of the winding spindle. These bearings also provide supports for tie rods 45 which extend lengthwise of the frame, tying all of the different box casings of the gang together. Brackets 43 which provide these hearings are secured to the frame work of the casing or machine. The lift rod 43 is prevented from axial movement by collars 41 and 43 located about the lift rod and in a position to engage the brackets 46. Starting handle 43 is mounted upon the lift rod 43 to rotate the same about its axis. This starting handle has an arm 50 which extends downwardly therefrom with a finger 5| extending at right angles to the arm 53 at one end thereof. A dog segment 52 is pivoted as at 53 and is swung clockwise as viewed in-Fig. 2 about pivot 63 by means of spring 54. This dog segment carries a catch 55 beneath which the finger 5| will engage when the handle 43 rocks the lift rod 43 clockwise as viewed in Fig. 2. This lift rod 43, when rocked to the right, or clockwise as shown in Fig. 2, operates against the tension of spring 63 (Fig. 3) in the back of the machine acting on lever 51 which is secured to the lift rod 43. This spring 58 is tied to some convenient part of the casing as at 53, thus it is necessary for the finger to engage the catch in order that the lift rod 43 will be maintained in the position shown in Fig. '2 where it is rocked by the handle 43.

The dog segment 52 has a member 60 with right angular arms 6| and 62 pivoted on it as at 33. The arm 62 has a finger 84 which extends into a position to be engaged by the yarn 33. This member 63 is so weighted or urged by springs 65 that it tends to move toward the yarn but is supported by the yarn when in normal operation. If, however, the yarn fails, then the finger 64 will drop, moving the arm 3| into a position to be engaged by one of the lobes 66 of a rotating member 61 which will strike the member 60 and move the entire dog segment 52 about its pivot 53 to release the catch from the finger 5| of the operating handle and permit the handle to swing back to an inoperative position under influence of the spring 56.

Above the casing of one of these spindle mechanisms just described and extending lengthwise of the gang of spindles there is a shelf 38 for the storage of supply packages to be substituted for the package 43 or to receive wound packages 42 when completed.

Up to this point the mechanism which I have described is all old and is in use on the above mentioned Universal" winding machine #50. It is usual in that type of machine to utilize a rather complicated drive for the pulley l6 which complication I have simplified by the mounting of a cradle II (Fig. 8) having spaced eyes II and 12 of a size to receive the tie rod 45. It is merely necessary for me to slide out the tie rod 45 from the back of the machine and slip the tie rod thru these two eyes, located one at either side of the bracket 46, thus rockably mounting this cradle upon the tie rod. The location of the eyes H and I2 are such that the majority of the weight of the cradle is forward of the rod and will tend to swing downward about the rod as a hinge center if unsupported. This cradle also contains a slot 13 extending parallel to the rod 45 to assist in positioning the control cam and in order to control the position of this cradle I have mounted a lever arm or cam 14 (see also Fig. 5) upon the lift rod, the usual mechanism operated by this lift rod for the control of the drive being omitted.

This lever arm is secured on the rod 43 by a pair of set screws and 16 engaging the flat surface 11 of the rod for holding the same in position thereon and also permitting some adjustment by the relative in and out positioning of the set screws. An individual electric motor 13 is secured by means of a band 19 and bolts 80 to the cradle 10, there being provided shims 8| at either side of this motor with wedge shaped ends 82 which are secured by means of bolts 83 thru slots 84 so that they may be moved inwardly and outwardly to vary the position of the motor on the cradle 10. This individual electric motor obtains its supply of energizing current thru wires or cable 85, having at its end a plug 86 to be inserted into a socket 81 located on the under-side of the rack or supply shelf 68.

This motor carries on its armature shaft 88 a pulley 89 about which there extends a belt 90. When the motor swings downward at its front end about the rod as a center, the pulley 89 will be raised to tighten the belt 90 and cause the drive to be effected of the winding spindle. When the motor is raised by means of the lever 74, the belt will be loosened and the winding spindle will cease to be driven and will stop. The lowering of the motor is efiected by movement of the handle 49' clockwise as shown in Fig. 2 into the position to engage the catch permitting the weight of the motor and the bracket to tension the belt to drive the machine. To stop the machine it is necessary to lift the dog segment 52 which may be done either manually or automatically as previously described to cause the operation of the spindle to cease.

By this arrangement I have eliminated a large number of operating parts and substituted therefor a very simple single motor drive for each winding spindle. The belt 90 is of an endless type and may be inserted in place by merely removing the belt 36, thus two short belts are provided, with the elimination of the long belt usually used for operating a plurality of winding spindles. Fewer moving parts being provided, less lubrication is necessary. The starting of the machine is so simple that but a single starting handle 49 is necessary, it being possible to move this very gradually into position to allow slippage of this short belt and no quick grabbing and consequent breaking of the yarn.

The units which I have described are assembled in gangs of six as shown in Fig. 6 at A, B, C, D, E and F, each of which is completely independent of the other so far as drive is concerned and are merely tied together by tie rod 45 and by the superstructure of the supply shelf and bed frame of the machine. The individual units are small and a gang are all self-contained within the pro- Jection of the bed of the machine, upwardly or downwardly, whereby a minimum amount of floor space is necessary for thesetting up 01 the machines. From 18" to 2-ft. are saved for each two machines which are usually driven by a single motor. The operating costs are reduced both by saving on power consumption and upkeep of the parts and if changes or repairs are necessary on any one unit, this unit alone is inoperative while said repairs are being made. 7

The foregoing description is directed solely towards the construction illustrated, but I desire it to be understood that I reserve the privilege of resorting to -all the mechanical changes to which the device is susceptible, the invention being defined and limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a winding machine, a winding spindle and pulley thereon, a pivoted cradle to swing by gravity in one direction, a motor on said cradle having a driving pulley, a belt about said pulleys tightened when the cradle moves in the gravity actuated direction, and means operated by the breaking of the yarn to control the movement of said cradle.

2. In a winding machine, a winding spindle, a lift rod, a tie rod, a cradle pivotally mounted on said tie rod, a driving motor on the cradle, a belt connecting said motor and spindle, and an arm on the lift rod positioned to engage and move said cradle to loosen or tighten the belt.

3. In a winding machine, a winding spindle, a lift rod, a tie rod, a bracket supporting said tie rod, a cradle having spaced eyes pivotally mounted on said tie rod on each side of said bracket, a driving motor on the cradle, a belt connecting said motor and spindle, and an arm on the lift rod positioned to engage and move said cradle to loosen or tighten the belt.

4. In a winding machine, a spindle having a pulley thereon, a cradle pivotally mounted to swing by gravity in one direction and provided with a recess therein, a motor fixed to said cradle and movable therewith and having a driving pulley thereon, a belt about said pulleys tightened when the cradle moves in the gravity-actuated direction, an arm movably mounted and having a portion positioned in said recess and engaging said cradle, and means associated with said arm for manually actuating said arm to move said cradle to slacken said belt. a

5. In a winding machine, a winding spindle and pulley thereon, a pivotally mounted motor having a driving pulley, a belt connecting said pulleys, said parts being so constructed and arranged that pivoting of the motor in one direction tightens said belt and pivotal movement of the motor in the other direction loosens the belt, and means operated by breaking of the yarn to pivot the motor in a direction to loosen the so belt.

6. In a winding machine, a winding spindle and a pulley thereon, a pivotally mounted motor above and closely adjacent to the winding spindle and having a driving pulley, a relatively short belt connecting said pulleys, said parts being so constructed and arranged that a pivoting of the motor in one direction tightens the belt and a pivotal movement of the motor in the other direction loosens the belt, and means operated by the breaking or the yarn to pivot the motor in a direction to loosen the belt.

GUY C. D. VALLIE. 

